{"id":39457,"date":"2014-11-18T22:16:58","date_gmt":"2014-11-18T14:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/lockheed-martin-enter-atlo-phase-for-mars-insight-lander\/"},"modified":"2014-11-18T22:16:58","modified_gmt":"2014-11-18T14:16:58","slug":"lockheed-martin-enter-atlo-phase-for-mars-insight-lander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/lockheed-martin-enter-atlo-phase-for-mars-insight-lander\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockheed Martin enter ATLO phase for Mars InSight lander"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following last week\u2019s dramatic exploits of Rosetta\u2019s Philae lander on the surface of a comet, another lander \u2013 destined for the surface of Mars \u2013 is being born at Lockheed Martin. NASA\u2019s InSight Mars lander spacecraft has started its assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) phase \u2013 ahead of its March, 2016 launch atop of an Atlas V rocket.<\/p>\n

Mars Missions:<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s InSight mission will record the first-ever measurements of the interior of the red planet, providing scientists back on Earth with unprecedented detail into the evolution of Mars and other terrestrial planets.<\/p>\n

The US Space Agency is the dominant player in the realm of robotic Mars exploration, with a string of mission successes already achieved, both in the Martian orbit and on the surface of the Red Planet.<\/p>\n

The flagship effort to send humans to Mars is, however, still a distant dream \u2013 with undefined plans citing a target of the mid-2030s as part of an evolving plan utilizing the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion.<\/p>\n

\"Z6\"The wildcard is SpaceX\u2019s Raptor-driven BFR and Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT), with Elon Musk occasionally citing Mars missions could begin around 10 years before NASA\u2019s current target.<\/p>\n

While human exploration remains the holy grail of space flight, the excitement surrounding robotic missions is currently at an all-time high, following the eventful successes achieved by Rosetta\u2019s plucky little lander, Philae.<\/p>\n

However, the majority of robotic missions are deemed to be precursors, ahead of eventually sending humans back out into deep space \u2013 not least when it involves Mars.<\/p>\n

Although that aspiration is not shared by everyone in the space flight community, partly due to the immense cost of human space flight curtailing expenditure on robotic missions, Dr. John Grunsfeld, Associate Administrator of NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate is one of many who believe in the \u201csynergistic collaboration between science and human space flight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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InSight Progress:<\/p>\n

While it is hoped humans will one day set foot on the surface of Mars, InSight will be taking a keen interest in what lies beneath.<\/p>\n

This Discovery-class mission holds a large amount of synergy with NASA\u2019s Phoenix lander, which successfully touched down near Mars\u2019 northern polar ice cap in 2008.<\/p>\n

\"Z3\"The three-legged landing platform will be aiming for an equatorial landing site, utilizing an array of international scientific instruments for a much greater period of time when compared to Phoenix.<\/p>\n

This will include the observation of \u201cmarsquakes\u201d via seismic probes, a hammer that will be capable of delving five meters into the Martian surface in order to take subterranean temperature readings, and a radiometer that will measure surface temperatures at the landing site.<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n